NSA deleted surveillance data it pledged to preserve

 News Updates from CLG
21 January 2018

http://www.legitgov.org/
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Previous edition: CLG Founder and NYU Professor Michael Rectenwald Sues NYU, University Colleagues for Defamation

 

NSA deleted surveillance data it pledged to preserve | 19 Jan 2018 | The National Security Agency destroyed surveillance data it pledged to preserve in connection with pending lawsuits and apparently never took some of the steps it told a federal court it had taken to make sure the information wasn't destroyed, according to recent court filings. Word of the NSA's 'foul-up' is emerging just as Congress has extended for six years the legal authority the agency uses for much of its surveillance work conducted through U.S. internet providers and tech firms. President Donald Trump signed that measure into law Friday.

 

Senator says FBI lost crucial texts tied to Clinton probe | 21 Jan 2018 | The Federal Bureau of Investigation has lost [!?!] about five months worth of text messages between two staffers who worked on probes into former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton's emails and possible collusion between Russia and President Donald Trump's 2016 presidential campaign, according to a Republican lawmaker. Wisconsin Senator Ron Johnson, who chairs the Senate Homeland Security Committee, revealed in a Jan. 20 letter that the FBI's technical system failed to preserve texts that were exchanged between Lisa Page, a lawyer, and Peter Strzok, an agent, between mid-December 2016 through mid-May of 2017.

 

FBI 'unable' to preserve some text messages from agent removed from Mueller probe | 21 Jan 2018 | The FBI was unable to preserve some text messages between two agents who have been accused of anti-Trump bias, including one who previously served on special counsel Robert Mueller’s team, according to a letter from the bureau to lawmakers. [Yeah, right!] The FBI said it did not have a record of messages exchanged over a six-month period between Peter Strzok and Lisa Page because many of its issued mobile phones had problems related to "rollouts, provisioning, and software upgrades." Sen. Ron Johnson (R-Wis.) expressed concerns over the missing messages, according to a letter he sent to FBI Director Christopher Wray, obtained Sunday by The Hill.

 

Republicans want release of secret Russia probe surveillance memo | 19 Jan 2018 | House Republicans have said the information in a secret memo on surveillance is so shocking that it must be released to the public. Members of the lower chamber of Congress were allowed to see a memo from the House intelligence committee on Thursday, with some voicing outrage about what they saw in a restricted room at the Capitol. "I viewed the classified report from House Intel relating to the FBI, FISA abuses, the infamous Russian dossier, and so-called 'Russian collusion.' What I saw is absolutely shocking. This report needs to be released--now. Americans deserve the truth. #ReleaseTheMemo," Rep. Mark Meadows of North Carolina said Thursday night.

 

GOP demand #ReleaseTheMemo on 'shocking' FISA abuses - after supporting surveillance law | 19 Jan 2018 | Republican lawmakers demand the public release of a classified memo detailing Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act abuses under the Obama administration. The move comes as lawmakers [insanely] reauthorized government surveillance powers. The House Intelligence Committee passed the motion introduced by Rep. Peter King (R-New York) Thursday. The measure was voted on along party lines, with all Democrats voting against the motion to make the classified report available to all House members.

 

With Bipartisan Backing, House Gives Trump Administration Broad Latitude to Spy on Americans | 11 Jan 2018 | With bipartisan backing, the House of Representatives passed a bill Thursday that would renew one of the government’s most sweeping surveillance authorities for six years with minimal changes. The measure, which passed 256-164, reauthorized Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, which was set to expire later this month. The law was first passed in 2008 to legalize President [sic] George W. Bush's warrantless wiretapping program. It allows the National Security Agency to collect Americans' communications with people overseas, as long as the NSA is "targeting" the foreigners involved.

 

MI5 agent 'Damson Berry' aka imam Abu Hamza says he was tipped off about 9/11 days before attack, court papers reveal | 15 Jan 2018 | The notorious hook-handed British radical preacher Abu Hamza claimed he was tipped off by militant contacts in Afghanistan about the September 11 attacks four days before planes struck the World Trade Center in 2001, court papers revealed Monday. Hamza, 59, said he was warned that "something very big will happen very soon" and he interpreted the message as an impending terrorist attack on the U.S., according to a 124-page court submission obtained by Britain's The Sunday Times. The former imam, who remains behind bars in a Colorado prison, said he believed the phone in his London home was being "tapped" by police. [Ergo, the UK government knew the 9/11 false flag was imminent.] The phone calls also reportedly showed that Hamza was an MI5 agent, the U.K's domestic counter-intelligence and security agency, and operating under the code name "Damson Berry."

 

Abu Hamza says he was tipped off about 9/11 | 14 Jan 2018 | Abu Hamza, Britain’s most notorious hate preacher [and MI5 agent], says militant contacts in Afghanistan called him four days before the 9/11 attacks to warn: "Something very big will happen very soon." The hook-handed cleric says he interpreted the message as being about an impending terrorist strike on America and believes the phone at his west London home was being "tapped" by police at the time. His claim raises questions about whether British authorities were aware of the warning and failed to pass it on to their American counterparts before al-Qaeda [al-CIAduh] operatives flew hijacked jets into the World Trade Center in New York and the Pentagon in September 2001.

 

Because the CIA's poppy fields and opi-m routes aren't going to protect themselves: 1,000 more U.S. troops could be headed to Afghanistan this spring, to supplement 14,000 already in the country | 21 Jan 2018 | The U.S. Army is readying plans that could increase the total force in Afghanistan by as many as 1,000 U.S. troops this spring beyond the 14,000 already in the country, senior military officials said. Defense Secretary Jim Mattis has not signed off on the proposals for the new forces, which are part of a broader strategy to bolster Afghan forces so that they can battle the Taliban during the upcoming fighting season. [?!] The Obama administration, as part of its [phony] plan to wind down the Afghanistan war in 2015, limited advisers to higher headquarters far from the fighting. The new strategy that President Trump approved in August would push U.S. advisory teams to the battalion level, far closer to the front lines.

 

Kabul hotel siege ends after 12 hours with 18 dead, Afghan officials say Taliban claims responsibility for attack | 21 Jan 2018 | Gunmen who raided the Intercontinental Hotel in Kabul killed at least 18 people during a 12-hour standoff with security forces that ended Sunday, Afghan authorities said. Of those killed, 14 were foreign nationals and four were Afghans, according to Najib Danish, spokesman for the Ministry of Interior. Four gunmen were also killed by Afghan security forces responding to the attack, he said.

 

Several dead after gunmen attack Afghanistan's Intercontinental Hotel in Kabul | 20 Jan 2018 | Gunmen attacked Kabul's Intercontinental Hotel on Saturday, seizing hostages and exchanging gunfire with security forces as the building in the Afghan capital caught fire and residents and staff fled. Hotel manager Ahmad Haris Nayab, who escaped unhurt, said the attackers had got into the main part of the hotel through a kitchen and people tried to get out amid bursts of gunfire. Several people had been killed and at least six wounded in the raid, which came days after a U.S. embassy warning of possible attacks on hotels in Kabul, Nasrat Rahimi, an interior ministry spokesman, said.

 

RAF Lossiemouth fighter jets scrambled to intercept Russian planes off Scottish coast | 15 Jan 2018 | RAF jets have been scrambled this morning to intercept Russian planes off the coast of Scotland. Two Typhoon fighters took off from RAF Lossiemouth just before 9:30am in response to Russian planes approaching UK airspace. The stand-off is the latest in a series of provocations from Moscow Washington amid heightened tensions with Britain and the West.

 

UK scrambles 2 RAF Typhoon fighter jets to intercept Russian planes | 15 Jan 2018 | Britain scrambled two Royal Air Force Typhoon jets from Scotland to intercept Russian planes close to the United Kingdom's airspace, a defence ministry spokesman said. The Typhoons took off from RAF Lossiemouth in Moray, Scotland, at around 9:30 am to tackle the alleged encroachment. The Russian plane model is yet to be identified as the operation is still ongoing. French and Belgian air forces have reportedly also been deployed to tackle the situation.

 

Hawaii gov took 15 minutes to announce missile alert was false | 19 Jan 2018 | The Hawaii National Guard's top commander said Friday he told Gov. David Ige that a missile alert was a false alarm two minutes after it went out statewide. But the governor didn't tell the public until 15 minutes later. Maj. Gen. Arthur "Joe" Logan told state lawmakers at a hearing that he called the governor at 8:09 a.m. Saturday after speaking to a supervisor at the Hawaii Emergency Management Agency, whose employee accidentally sent the alert...Ige's office relayed an emergency management agency tweet about the false alarm at 8:24 a.m. Six minutes later, a notice went up on his Facebook page. 

 

Siren at Shearon Harris Nuclear Plant false alarm | 19 Jan 2018 | (New Hill, NC) A siren Friday afternoon at the Shearon Harris Nuclear Power Plant was a false alarm according to Wake County Emergency Management. That may be the case, but it still put quite a scare in area residents. The malfunction happened around 1 p.m., specifically near Apex and Cary. A recorded message from emergency management was sent to several residents of Apex and Cary following a siren going off from the Harris Power Plant.

 

Senate fails to reach deal, extending shutdown for third day | 21 Jan 2018 | The Senate has failed to reach a deal to prevent the government shutdown from pushing into the workweek. A flurry of activity on Capitol Hill had stoked hopes that a deal to end the shutdown might be reached before furloughs for hundreds of thousands of government workers kick in on Monday. Instead, the Senate is now set to vote at noon on Monday to end debate on a measure that would fund the government through Feb. 8.

 

Shutdown Day 2: Bipartisan Group Eyes a Compromise Before Monday | 21 Jan 2018 | Members of Congress pushed Sunday to end a two-day-old government shutdown, with a bipartisan group of senators meeting behind closed doors in search of a compromise deal even as both parties continued to publicly trade blame. While lawmakers remained mired in partisan disputes as they reconvened in the early afternoon, the gathering of senators from the two parties offered a reason for cautious optimism that a deal could be reached before the workweek began. Senator Mitch McConnell of Kentucky, the majority leader, said he would move ahead with a procedural vote on a temporary spending bill, which would occur by 1 a.m. Monday, and Speaker Paul D. Ryan of Wisconsin offered an assurance that his chamber would pass the measure.

 

First day of government shutdown ends in standoff | 20 Jan 2018 | President Donald Trump and Republican lawmakers were locked in a standoff with Democrats on Saturday over the U.S. government shutdown, with Republicans saying they would not negotiate on immigration until the government is reopened. Funding for federal agencies ran out at midnight with no agreement in Congress, meaning the second year of Trump's presidency began without a fully functioning government. Democrats stuck to demands that any short-term spending legislation must include protections for young undocumented immigrants known as "Dreamers." Republicans in turn said they would not negotiate on immigration until Democrats gave them the votes needed to reopen the government.

 

Government Shuts Down as Bill to Extend Funding Is Blocked; Senators Continue to Seek Deal | 20 Jan 2018 | The United States government has officially shut down. Lawmakers are now scrambling for a quick deal to reopen it and buy them more negotiation time.

 

Congress hurtles toward shutdown --The House passed a bill to keep the government funded for another four weeks, but prospects in the Senate look dim. | 18 Jan 2018 | Congress is careening toward the first shutdown in more than four years, with Republicans and Democrats at a seemingly intractable impasse over government funding and the fates of young immigrants facing deportation. Though House Republicans voted Thursday night to keep the government open, the real drama is in the closely divided Senate, where it's unclear what, if anything, can clear the chamber's supermajority threshold. The Senate couldn't even agree on holding a vote on Thursday night, adjourning after Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell spurned Minority Leader Chuck Schumer's request to hold a vote and, assuming it failed, restart bipartisan negotiations on immigration and government spending levels.

 

Trump admin pledges to minimize impact of government shutdown | 19 Jan 2018 | The White House on Friday emphasized that the Trump administration is working to mitigate the impact of a potential government shutdown on the American people. "You're seeing, across the board, efforts by the administration in each of the agencies to minimize the impact of the shutdown on the American people," an official said on a call with reporters late in the day, as the shutdown became increasingly likely under a looming midnight deadline. "We've instructed agencies to minimize the impact. My impression is that other administrations worked to maximize impacts," another official said.

 

Senators from 12 states seek offshore drilling exemptions like Florida's | 11 Jan 2018 | Twenty-two Democratic U.S. senators from 12 states on Thursday joined the chorus of local representatives seeking exemptions from Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke's newly proposed offshore drilling plan, after his surprise move on Tuesday to shield Florida. Zinke surprised lawmakers, governors, and industry groups on Tuesday night by announcing that Florida would be removed from the Interior Department's proposal to open up over 90 percent of federal waters to oil and gas leasing. Zinke had met in Tallahassee, Florida's capital, with Republican Governor Rick Scott, who told the Interior chief that drilling puts his state's coastal to-rism economy at risk. Scott is widely expected to challenge Democratic Senator Bill Nelson, who is up for re-election this year.

 

Pharma-terrorists strike again: Flu kills eight Santa Barbara residents in two weeks - all except one had received the flu vaccine | 08 Jan 2018 | Eight Santa Barbara County residents have died from the flu in the past two weeks alone. By contrast, only three residents died throughout last year's entire flu season, which typically runs from October to April. All eight people were ages 65 or older. "These numbers are unprecedented for the past 10 years," said Dr. Charity Dean, public health czar for Santa Barbara County. Dean said all but one of the eight had been vaccinated and all had been given flu-fighting medications. [Wake up, people! The flu vaccine *is* the killer.]

 

Anti-PC Professor Suing NYU Speaks Out | 15 Jan 2018 | Michael Rectenwald -- the PC-bashing, "deplorable" New York University professor behind the Twitter handle @antipcnyuprof -- is suing NYU and four of his colleagues for defamation, alleging that he was subjected to a campaign of ostracism and harassment when he criticized campus political correctness. Rectenwald's suit, filed in Manhattan Supreme Court on Friday, alleges that current and former NYU faculty members used official email distribution lists to defame him in May of 2017, calling him a "right-wing misogynist," an "a-hole" and "Satan" in messages sent to over 100 NYU faculty and administrators.

 

'Deplorable' NYU prof sues university, colleagues for defamation | 14 Jan 2018 | A New York University liberal studies professor [and CLG Founder] known for his tweets fighting back against PC culture filed a defamation lawsuitagainst the school and four colleagues last week over a string of claims he said were false, the New York Post reported. Plaintiff Michael Rectenwald's casenamed the school, associate professor Jacqueline Bishop, adjunct professor Amber Frost, professor Carley Moore and Theresa Senft, whom the Post described as an ex-assistant professor, as defendants. Rectenwald alleged that a May email thread sent to more than 100 NYU staffers included "malicious" statements -- and that NYU didn’t prevent the "nasty screed," the Post reported. The emails reportedly called him a "right-wing misogynist," among other things.

 

Midtown alt-right bash turns violent after protester slugs, chokes partygoer| 21 Jan 2018 | Violence erupted outside an gala in Midtown Saturday when a black-clad [Antifa] protester [terrorist] punched and choked a partygoer, cops said. Mike Cernovich was inside the event at the FREQNYC nightclub on W. 50th St. when the fisticuffs broke out about 10:30 p.m.

 

Ole Miss won't rule out microaggression-related suspensions --The outgoing general counsel at Ole Miss recently suggested that the school can "punish" students for "a single offensive remark." | 15 Jan 2018 | The University of Mississippi (UM) has declined to clarify if students can be suspended or expelled for committing a single microaggression, in light of reports suggesting just that. On January 5, Inside Higher Education reporter Jeremy Bauer-Wolf reported that "At the University of Mississippi, it's possible that a single offensive remark could land a student in trouble," but did not specify what type of punishment could result. After some media outlets later suggested the policy could result in suspension or expulsion, Campus Reform reached out to UM for clarification, asking if a student could be suspended or expelled after making a single offensive remark.

 

Bannon Is Subpoenaed in Mueller's Russia 'Investigation' | 16 Jan 2018 | Stephen K. Bannon, President Trump's former chief strategist, was subpoenaed last week by the special counsel, Robert S. Mueller III, to testify before a grand jury as part of the investigation into possible links between Mr. Trump's associates and Russia, according to a person with direct knowledge of the matter. The move marked the first time Mr. Mueller is known to have used a grand jury subpoena to seek information from a member of Mr. Trump's inner circle. The special counsel’s office has used subpoenas before to seek information on Mr. Trump's associates and their possible ties to Russia or other foreign governments.

 

Bannon refused to answer House panel's questions about time in White House | 16 Jan 2018 | President Donald Trump's former adviser Steve Bannon refused to answer questions Tuesday from the House intelligence committee about his time in the White House, prompting panel members to subpoena him on the spot, according to a person familiar with the interview. Bannon appeared before the committee as part of its investigation of Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election, speaking just weeks after a falling-out with Trump over comments he made in an explosive new book. Rep. Devin Nunes (R-Calif.) confirmed Tuesday that he issued a subpoena for Bannon.

 

Feds intend to retry Menendez and Melgen 'at the earliest possible date' | 19 Jan 2018 | Two months after a jury failed to reach a verdict in the federal corruption case against Democratic Sen. Bob Menendez and co-defendant Salomon Melgen, the Justice Department on Friday said it wants to retry them -- and soon. "The United States files this notice of intent to retry the defendants and requests that the Court set the case for retrial at the earliest possible date," reads the one-paragraph notice signed by AnnaLou Tirol, acting chief of the department's public integrity section. Menendez, New Jersey's senior senator, is up for reelection this year.

 

Newsweek HQ raided by two dozen NYPD officers and Manhattan DA investigators - who refuse to say why | 18 Jan 2018 | About two dozen NYPD officers and investigators from the Manhattan district attorney's office stormed the Newsweek magazine offices in New York City on Tuesday, according to multiple reports. Sources told the New York Post and The Outline that the agents were taking pictures of the company's servers, and their corresponding serial numbers.

 

Chris Christie ordered to use Newark Airport's public entrance when the TSA caught him trying to bypass security two days after his term as New Jersey governor ended | 18 Jan 2018 | Chris Christie learned the hard way this week that his VIP treatment expired at the same time as his governorship. The former New Jersey governor was busted by airport security trying to bypass a TSA checkpoint at Newark Liberty International Airport on Thursday. Christie attempted to use a 'special access' area near the exit of the restricted area of the terminal, according to CBS New York.

 

Charles Koch donated $500K to Paul Ryan days after GOP tax plan passed| 21 Jan 2018 | GOP mega-donor Charles Koch and his wife donated around 500,000 to Speaker Paul Ryan’s (R-Wis.) joint fundraising committee, just days after the GOP tax plan was passed. Koch made the donation 13 days after the plan was passed, which lowers the corporate tax rate and cuts estate taxes, HuffPost reported. He and his wife also gave 237,000 each to the National Republican Congressional Committee on the same day, according to HuffPost. Koch and his brother David Koch were both major advocates for the tax plan, pouring millions of d-llars into efforts to get the legislation passed.

 

Surging Dow Passes 26,000 Milestone for First Time Ever | 16 Jan 2018 | Seven trading days. That's how long it took the Dow to rocket from 25,000 to 26,000. The market's latest milestone, reached on Tuesday just after the opening bell, easily sets the record for the fastest rise between 1,000-point barriers. The Dow has been around for 121 years. The Dow has spiked almost 8,000 points, or about 42%, since President Trump's election.

 

Driving a Car in Manhattan Could Cost $11.52 Under Congestion Plan | 18 Jan 2018 | Driving a car into the busiest parts of Manhattan could cost 11.52 under a major proposal prepared for Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo that would make New York the first city in the United States with a pay-to-drive plan. New York has rejected or ignored versions of them dating to at least the 1970s. The newest plan embraces the twin goals of easing Manhattan's choking traffic while raising badly needed revenue for the city's failing subways and buses. The proposals are part of a report by a task force, "Fix NYC," convened by Governor Cuomo after he declared a state of emergency in the subways last June.

 

One year later, Women's March returns | 20 Jan 2018 | One year after women took to the streets in droves to protest President Donald Trump's inauguration, [Deep State-funded] marchers are gathering again in cities across the country and around the world in a sharp rebuke of Trump's presidency and in continuation of a still-growing international movement. This second year of the Women's March also comes in the middle of the #MeToo movement, which has shed light on sexual misconduct and ushered in social change in a bevy of industries. It also comes months ahead of the midterm elections in the United States, in which progressive women hope to turn their activism into victories at the ballot box.

 

Chelsea Manning files to run for U.S. Senate in Maryland | 16 Jan 2018 | Chelsea E. Manning, the transgender former Army private who was convicted of passing sensitive government documents to WikiLeaks, is seeking to run for the U.S. Senate in Maryland, according to federal election filings. Manning would be challenging Democrat Benjamin L. Cardin, who is in his second term in the Senate and is up for reelection in November. Cardin is Maryland's senior senator and is considered an overwhelming favorite to win a third term.

 

3 injured in Manhattan shooting near Empire State Building | 21 Jan 2018 | Three people have been injured in midtown Manhattan following a shooting, police say. The shooting happened at 4:40pm local time on West 31st Street near Penn Station. Police said three men were injured and rushed to Bellevue Hospital with none life-threatening injuries. Paramedics and the police immediately rushed to the scene which is just a stone's throw away from the Empire State Building. At least one gunman remains on the loose, NBC New York reports, citing police.

 

Undocumented immigrant accused of stabbing stranger in neck at California market had been deported seven times | 18 Jan 2018 | A man accused of an "unprovoked and brutal stabbing" at a market in California last month is an undocumented immigrant with a criminal record who had been previously deported seven times, a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement spokesman told Fox News. Ricardo Velasquez-Romero, 39, who also goes by the name Eulalio Miniz Orozco, was arrested last month after local police say he stabbed a 61-year-old man in the neck at Lola's Market in Santa Rosa on Dec. 21. Department of Homeland Security databases indicate Velasquez-Romero "has been repatriated to his native Mexico seven times since 2007," a spokesman for ICE said.

 

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